


Musketeers One-shots

by EvanlynDurin00



Category: The Musketeers (2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Attempt at Humor, Character Death, Family, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-02
Updated: 2020-12-23
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:41:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,835
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25673752
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EvanlynDurin00/pseuds/EvanlynDurin00
Summary: This work is where I will collect all my one-shots/short stories for the Musketeers, where you can read them. They will range from all kinds of AU's to character studies and everything in between.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 26





	1. As long as I'm here, so are you

It was quiet in the church. Sunlight shone in through the windows, swirling with colours. All the pews were full, many people crying softly or looking sad. At the very front, by the altar, stood a coffin. A photo was placed next to it, showing a smiling boy.

On the other side was a lectern. A boy stood behind it, a solemn look on his face. His eyes were dry but his hands shook as he placed a paper in front of him. He stared at the photo for a moment, then took a deep breath and turned his attention towards the people in front of him.

‘I met d’Artagnan at the start of the schoolyear. While he was a great hit with my friends, I didn’t like him at all. It took a while for me to realize it was jealousy. Athos and Porthos were my only friends, the only ones who didn’t see me as the kid with cancer. And now I suddenly had to share them with this newcomer.’

_He could still feel the anger inside of him when Athos invited d’Artagnan to join them after schoolyear._

‘The pup grew on me though. Even though I treated him coolly, he always made sure I was included and offered to help me out.’

_‘Would you like some help with Geography? You can help me with English in return.’_

‘But I didn’t consider him a friend until I had to go back to the hospital again. He made sure I got my homework and visited every day. D’Artagnan was the one I confessed my fear of dying to. And do you know what he said?’

_‘You won’t die, Aramis, I promise.’_

_‘You’re not a doctor. How can you make such a promise?’_

_Tears streamed down his face. God, he didn’t want to die. He looked up when d’Artagnan grasped both his hands tightly._

_‘Because I can feel it in my bones.’_

‘He looked so earnestly that I believed him. When Christmas came around, I was officially declared to be in remission. My family cried. Athos and Porthos cheered. But d’Artagnan looked at me and said: “ _I told you so._ ”’

_Even with his mother attempting to smother him, he could still see d’Artagnan grinning at him. Excitement and happiness shone clearly in his brown orbs._

‘Then, after winter break, we found out that d’Artagnan had leukaemia too. All those times he had been to visit me, he was being treated. Only, he was getting worse. Suddenly, the roles were reversed. One day, he told us that Make a Wish was organizing a trip for him.’

_‘And you guys are coming with me. We’re going to visit Vienna, to see the Spanish Riding School. It’s always been my dream to see it.’_

‘Those days were amazing. We had so much fun and d’Artagnan seemed so full of life that I was sure he would beat this, just like I had. But I was wrong. The moment we got back, he went downhill so fast. We were there, when the doctors told him that he was going to die.’

_The words hurt so unbelievably much. D’Artagnan’s father was pressing his fist to his mouth, trying to suppress his tears. Athos had gone deadly pale, while Porthos wrapped a comforting arm around d’Artagnan’s shoulders._

‘D’Artagnan didn’t cry nor did he get upset. He simply turned to us and said he needed our help. The kid had a bucket list and wanted us to help him do everything on it. And by God, he did.’

_‘That was awesome!’ d’Artagnan exclaimed as fell onto the grass. They joined him, laughing, adrenaline still riding high._

_He turned a bit, to study his younger friend. Those brown eyes were still shining with life and excitement._

‘I remember my last visit. He looked so small and oh, so tired. I held his hand and we talked about everything. When I apologized for having been such a jerk in the beginning, he laughed and said he hadn’t minded in the slightest. But when I was about to leave, he stopped me.’

_‘I’m scared, Aramis.’_

_There were tears shining in those brown eyes and his hand was being clutched so hard that it hurt. He placed his hand over d’Artagnan’s, trying to comfort him._

_‘God will take good care of you in heaven.’_

_‘I’m not scared of dying. I’m afraid of what I’m leaving behind.’_

‘What exactly we talked about, will always stay between us. But he did make me promise two things.’

_‘My father will be so sad. I know how much he likes you and Athos and Porthos. He won’t admit it, but it would help if you guys visit him as often as you can. And maybe help him look after Buttercup?’_

_‘Of course I will, I promise.’_

‘The second thing he asked of me was something I found a lot harder.’

_‘You beat cancer, Aramis. I hope you will remember, even after I’m gone. And maybe, you can live a little bit for me? You got the chance you deserve and you should take it. Live life to the fullest. Promise me?’_

_How was he supposed to make such a promise? It would be so much easier if d’Artagnan had beaten cancer too. Then they could be survivors together. But now, every time their friends or d’Artagnan’s father looked at him, they would remember d’Artagnan. The boy who didn’t get to live past 14._

_‘Please, Aramis?’_

_Those brown eyes were so dull now. They didn’t sparkle like they used to. It wasn’t fair._

‘I know that d’Artagnan wants us to smile when we think of him. It’s easier when I think of all the memories I got to make with the pup. But I will always miss him.’

The coffin had been lowered into the ground, the grave covered with flowers. Aramis stood in front of the stone, alone. Everyone else had gone inside for condolences and coffee.

He placed a hand on the stone.

‘I promise,’ he whispered.

As he turned around to head inside, Aramis wondered if d’Artagnan had heard him in heaven. 


	2. Home Alone (Brotherhood outtake)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Treville leaves the boys alone for weekend. What could possibly go wrong?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was looking through some of my old stuff and found this story. It was originally intended as a chapter for Brotherhood but I forgot all about it. I decided to re-write it and then post it in this collection. If you've read Brotherhood, consider this a deleted scene or outtake. If you haven't read it, that's no problem. All you need to know is that this takes place in a Modern AU where Treville adopted the boys.

Treville shut the trunk of his car and looked at his sons. Athos, his oldest, smiled reassuringly at him. A sigh escaped Treville. He was still having second thoughts about leaving his sons alone for the weekend. They could be very reckless and caused a lot of trouble, although most of the time it wasn’t on purpose.

‘Athos, are you sure you can handle this?’

When the boy let out a heavy sigh, Treville felt a sliver of amusement.

‘Dad, everything will be fine. You left a list of instructions and you’ll be back on Sunday evening.’

‘Yes, but..’

Athos interrupted him.

‘Dad, we’ll be fine. I’m 18 now and Porthos is 16. Between the two of us, everything will work out great. Now go, or you’ll be late.’

Treville shook his head and hugged his son.

‘Please make sure I’ll still have a house to return to.’

Athos chuckled. When Treville went to get in the car, he was hit by something. Looking down, he smiled. His youngest, d’Artagnan, was hugging him fiercely.

‘I’ll miss you, dad. Do you have to go?’

‘It’s only for the weekend, buddy. Besides, you are going to have so much fun with your brothers that you won’t even have the time to miss me.’

D’Artagnan looked up at him with big eyes and Treville felt his doubts come back. Perhaps a whole weekend was too long for an eight-year old?

Apparently Porthos picked up on Treville’s thoughts, for he suddenly swooped in and hoisted d’Artagnan up on his shoulders, eliciting a delighted giggle from the younger boy. Aramis distracted d’Artagnan further by reaching up and tickling the boy’s side, while Athos rubbed his youngest brother’s back.

‘Dad’s right. He’ll be back before you know it. And you and I can decide what we’re eating for two days, since Porthos and Aramis have to listen to me.’

Amidst the protests that broke out at the last statement, d’Artagnan’s eyes lit up and Treville smiled. He had nothing to worry about, since Athos clearly had everything under control.

‘I’ll see you boys on Sunday.’

As soon as the car had gone around the corner, d’Artagnan turned to Athos, bouncing excitedly on Porthos’ shoulders.

‘Do you think we could sleep in the living room tonight?’

Even if Athos had been inclined to say no, the infamous puppy eyes would never have let him anyway.

‘Sounds good to me. We’ll pull the air mattress from the guest room, it’s big enough for the four of us.’ 

* * *

Surely, a tornado had hit the living room. There could be no other explanation for the scene that had met Athos when he came downstairs, lugging the air mattress with him.

‘Please tell me a tornado passed through here.’

Porthos grinned sheepishly.

‘More or less. Tornado Aramis.’

Aforementioned force of nature gasped at the betrayal. Athos glared at him and Aramis scuffed the floor with his foot, accidently kicking a pillow as he did so.

‘You said we could sleep here, so I figured I’d put the blankets and pillows on the floor. I don’t know about you, but sleeping on wood is usually not so good for my back.’

‘I said I was going to get the air mattress. Now, here’s what we’re going to do. You clean up this mess, with help from d’Artagnan because I’m sure this was a team effort. Porthos and I are going to put up the mattress. Understood?’

Aramis and Porthos saluted him.

‘Yessir!’ 

* * *

Picking a film to watch proved more difficult than the brothers had expected. They all had different preferences and because of the age gap with d’Artagnan, a lot of the films had been nixed immediately. As Athos and Aramis got into a discussion about whether or not The Matrix was an option, Porthos looked at his youngest brother. So far, d’Artagnan had been completely silent.

‘What’s wrong, pup?’

The question instantly got the attention of Aramis and Athos. D’Artagnan shrugged and stared at his hands.

‘I’m ruining movie night. Maybe I should go upstairs?’

Porthos wrapped an arm around the boy.

‘Rubbish. We are being idiots, that’s not your fault. In fact, I think you might be the solution to our problem.’

Big brown eyes looked up at him.

‘Really?’

‘Yeah, absolutely. Since you like all of our favourite genres, you’re the only one who can make a fair choice. So, what would you like to watch?’

As d’Artagnan thought hard, Porthos met Athos’ eyes and read the approval. Eventually, the youngest brother lit up in excitement.

‘I’ve never seen Pirates of the Caribbean. Can we watch it tonight?’

Aramis looked appalled.

‘You haven’t seen Disney’s masterpiece? We have to fix that, right this instant!’ 

* * *

‘This is, by far, the most ridiculous idea you’ve ever had, ‘Mis.’

‘On the contrary, this is one of my most genius ideas, if I do say so myself.’

Porthos looked down the stairs, then back at his brother.

‘If this is your definition of genius, it’s no wonder you’re failing English.’

Aramis glared at him.

‘I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that.’

He grabbed the sled and placed it on the top of the stairs. Sledding down the stairs was something Aramis had always wanted to try, but their dad had never let them. Now that he was away for the weekend, and Athos was still asleep, Aramis had finally found his chance. And he was not about to miss out.

He sat down and grasped the rope tightly. A quick look over his shoulder showed a challenge in Porthos’ eyes. Well then, if his brother was daring him too, there was no backing down.

Aramis kicked off hard and the sled went down with a dizzying speed. It was exhilarating at first, but then he realized he was going to crash into the wall. He pulled hard at the rope, leaning to the left at the same time, hoping to force the sled into the living room.

It didn’t work, since the sled got caught on the railing and Aramis was sent flying, crashing headfirst onto the floor. The impact left him seeing stars. Footsteps came thundering down the stairs and before long, Porthos was leaning over him, an anxious look on his face.

‘Aramis, can you hear me?’

He groaned in response, hoping it was enough of an answer. Fingers tapped gently against his cheek.

‘Come on, ‘Mis, you gotta talk to me.’

More footsteps thundered towards them and Athos joined Porthos in the hovering.

‘What the hell happened?’

Aramis groaned again, but obediently answered.

‘Went sledding down the stairs. Wasn’t as fun as it looked.’

It looked like steam was about to come out of Athos’ ears.

‘You absolute idiot! What were you thinking?! Never mind, you obviously weren’t!’

Even though the yelling hurt his head, Aramis couldn’t help but think that Athos very much took after their father.

After having visited the doctor and being informed that he didn’t have a concussion, Aramis found himself on the couch, being ripped a new one by Athos. When his oldest brother had finally run out of steam, he stomped into the kitchen, leaving Aramis alone.

Not for long though. D’Artagnan peaked around the doorway and, having determined the coast was clear, scampered over to join Aramis on the couch.

‘I think your idea was awesome. Maybe we should try it again when it’s snowing, but with the front door open.’

Aramis grinned. 

* * *

On Sunday evening, Treville entered his house and found his boys playing Monopoly in the living room. D’Artagnan was the first to spot him and jumped into his arms.

‘Dad!’

He greeted his sons and joined them after having put his stuff away.

‘I was glad to see the house still standing. Did anything happen?’

The brothers glanced at each other, before turning back towards their dad. Athos shrugged.

‘Nah, everything went perfect. Not a single hitch.’


	3. Revenge is best served together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All for one and one for all. It's the motto of the infamous Inseperables at Bourbon Academy. All the bullies know that touching one of the Inseperables means having to deal with all four of them. Yet it seems that Rochefort still needs to learn that lesson.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this little drabble, the boys attend a private boarding school in France. They're about 12-13 years old.

They say hindsight is 20/20. And, in this case anyway, Porthos had to admit that the statement was true. Perhaps, if they had thought this through, they would not be standing in the headmaster’s office, with the threat of getting expelled.

It had all started when Porthos had been in the common room, doing his homework. Aramis had approached him with something of a frantic air. He took one look at the assignment and snatched it away.

‘Hey!’ Porthos exclaimed. ‘I need to finish that, you idiot!’

Aramis ignored him and stashed away the assignment.

‘You’ll get it back later. Right now, I need your help.’

Porthos glared at him.

‘What could be so important that you feel the need to steal my homework?’

Aramis leaned forward.

‘d’Artagnan was supposed to meet me at the stables half an hour ago. He never showed. I’ve looked all around the school but there is no sign of him anywhere. This isn’t like him.’

‘Have you checked with Athos? Maybe d’Art got held up at fencing practice.’

That theory was thrown out the window when Athos walked in, looking just as worried as Aramis. Before he could even open his mouth, Porthos cut him off.

‘Let me guess, you can’t find d’Artagnan?’

Athos nodded. Porthos sighed and stood up, putting his stuff in his bag.

‘Alright then, let us go in search of the pup.’

They checked the entire school twice, including the grounds, but no d’Artagnan anywhere. Eventually, Aramis sunk down in an empty hallway.

‘I give up. Where in God’s name could he be?’

Porthos crossed his arms and leaned against the wall.

‘You don’t think he ran away, do you?’

Aramis frowned.

‘Why would he do that?’

‘It could be,’ Athos said. ‘He’s tried it before.’

‘Yeah, after he got into that big fight with all three of us. Besides, coach Treville said that if he does it again, he’ll be kicked of the fencing team.’

A loud bang suddenly sounded through the hallway, making the three of them jump. Porthos was the first to shake off the shock and look around. His eyes fell on the door of a broom closet. Athos followed his gaze.

‘What are the odds that he somehow got locked in that closet?’

Aramis narrowed his eyes.

‘Big enough that we should check.’

Porthos thumped on the door and received a desperate banging in return.

‘Let me out!’

They exchanged a look, one that conveyed exasperation, concern and amusement all at once. Porthos unlocked the door and the moment it opened, d’Artagnan came stumbling out, chest heaving and eyes wide. Aramis was the first to grab hold of the younger boy, forcing him to sit down on the ground. The amusement the three had felt melted like snow under the sun at the sight of tears in d’Artagnan’s eyes.

‘What happened?’

D’Artagnan shook his head, trembling hands clenching Aramis’ shirt. His breath was coming in short spurts and it took Aramis about three seconds to realise that the younger boy was having a panic attack. He grabbed one of d’Artagnan’s hands and placed it on his own chest.

‘D’Artagnan, I need you to breathe with me. Deep breaths, in and out.’

He took a deep breath, held it for two seconds and let it out again. D’Artagnan tried to copy him but nearly choked, only furthering the panic.

‘I-I…can’t.’

His eyes were wide and his whole body was shaking.

‘Yes, you can. Come on, take a deep breath, I know you can do it.’

Aramis demonstrated again and this time, d’Artagnan followed. They did it two more times, d’Artagnan slowly becoming calmer. It wasn’t until they returned to normal breathing that Aramis realised Athos and Porthos had also been doing the breathing exercises. He couldn’t help but smile at that.

‘Alright, now that we’ve all got our breathing under control, shall we go to our dormitory? I think you could use a change of scenery.’

In no time at all, they were in the dormitory, sprawled all over the floor. Aramis had thrown the windows open, allowing fresh air inside and had received a grateful look from d’Artagnan for it. After staying silent for a few minutes, Athos pushed himself halfway up, leaning on his elbows.

‘d’Art, what happened?’

The younger boy took a deep breath, eyes closed.

‘I was going towards the stables when I ran into Rochefort. He shoved me and then demanded I apologised. I said no and then he hit me. When I tried to fight back, his friends jumped me. Then Rochefort said I needed a time-out and he and his friends locked me in that closet.’

The three older boys exchanged a look, one that clearly implied there was going to be hell to pay. Rochefort should have known by now, if you touched one of them, you’d deal with all of them.

‘Well then,’ Porthos said. ‘I think this can only be taken as a declaration of war. Gentlemen, let’s start planning our battles.’

* * *

Professor Richelieu was blowing this way out of proportion. He made it sound like the four of them had attacked Rochefort out of nowhere. Which was absolute bullshit.

‘Boys, do you have anything to say for yourself?’

Headmaster Bourbon was always so strict with them nowadays. They used to have a bit more leeway, since the man had always been fond of pranks and was notorious for joining in on the fun. Apparently, fatherhood changed such things.

Athos was the one to speak, which was a good thing really. Aramis seemed to have a concussion, d’Artagnan had an impressive shiner starting to bloom and Porthos was trying to stop him from poking at it, while simultaneously keeping Aramis upright.

‘We didn’t mean any harm, headmaster. It was supposed to be a prank, but things got out of hand. All four of us regret what happened and if we’d known how this would turn out, we would never have gone through with it.’

Sometimes, Porthos thought Athos should have joined the theatre club. The oldest boy had a notorious soft spot for d’Artagnan and never regretted anything that meant protecting his youngest friend. Headmaster Bourbon was leaning forward now, staring intently at Athos.

‘You seem genuine. Very well, you shall not be expelled.’

Professor Richelieu made a sound of outrage, but headmaster Bourbon held up his hand.

‘A punishment is still in order. After all, fighting is certainly not tolerated here, as you ought to know. Not to mention the mess your little prank made of the main hall. So, your punishment will be to clean up your crime-scene. And no attending the assemblies for two weeks. Understood?’

They nodded demurely and made their way out of the office, leaving professor Richelieu to argue with the headmaster. After a quick stop at the medical wing, they reached their dormitory, where Porthos forced Aramis on one of the beds, while Athos helped d’Artagnan to hold a cold pack against his eye. It was only in the safety of their own room that Porthos dared to express his relief.

‘I really thought we were about to get expelled.’

Athos shook his head, a small smile on his face.

‘Headmaster Bourbon would never do such a thing. It’s thanks to us that Bourbon Academy does so well in the sports department. We’ve brought home several championships in fencing, horse-riding, football and rugby. Not to mention the academic awards for debating, science and mathematics. If he expels us, he’ll lose significant sponsoring and achievements.’

Porthos frowned.

‘Sounds like favouritism if you ask me.’

‘Oh, you’d rather be expelled then? Besides, Rochefort wasn’t punished at all. I think that’s more unfair, since he’s the one who started all this.’

Aramis grinned at the ceiling.

‘We punished him plenty. I saw him in the medical wing, he won’t be forgetting this for a while. Anyways, the only real punishment is that we have to clean up our mess. I for one, don’t mind not having to attend the weekly assemblies.’

Porthos leaned over him, gently poking him in the shoulder.

‘How’s the head holding up?’

‘Just a headache, not even a concussion. I’ve had worse in football.’

It took a few moments, then the dots connected in Porthos’ head.

‘You were faking it!’

The smile Aramis gave was nothing short of diabolical.

‘Obviously. The worse we looked, the less of a case professor Richelieu had against us. With d’Artagnan’s shiner and my apparent “concussion”, it was clear that both sides went too far.’

A quiet sound came from the youngest member of the quartet. Three heads swivelled towards him.

‘You guys didn’t have to do all this for me. I’m really sorry you got punished.’

‘Nonsense!’ Aramis declared. ‘What Rochefort did was way out of line, no way were we letting him get away with it.’

D’Artagnan gave a small smile, then grimaced. Slowly, he pulled away the cold pack and the other three winced in sympathy.


End file.
